J Korean Med Sci.  2004 Oct;19(5):739-743. 10.3346/jkms.2004.19.5.739.

Clinical Diagnostic Accuracy of Otitis Media with Effusion in Children, and Significance of Myringotomy: Diagnostic or Therapeutic?

• Lee DH
• Yeo SW

• KMID: 1733519
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2004.19.5.739

Abstract

The specific aims of this prospective survey were to determine the accuracy of traditional diagnostic tools, such as pneumatic otoscopy, otomicroscopy, and tympanometry, and evaluate the usefulness of myringotomy as a diagnostic method; also to determine the significance of myringotomy in treating otitis media with effusion (OME). The status of middle ear of 51 children (85 ears) from November 2002 to February 2003 was examined using pneumatic otoscopy, otomicroscopy, and tympanometry, and the presence/absence of middle ear effusion was confirmed by myringotomy. The otomicroscopy was the most sensitive and specific one among three diagnostic tools. But, it had some false positive cases. This study failed to show the therapeutic efficacy of myringotomy. Otomicroscopy seems to have the potential to become the standard for diagnosis of OME and for validation of pneumatic otoscopy in children. However, when otoscopic, otomicroscopic findings and tympanogram of suspected ear show poor correlation, myringotomy can be used to confirm the presence of OME, as the diagnostic modality. As the therapeutic modality, we think that it is proper to limit indications of myringotomy to some selected cases.

Keyword

Middle Ear Ventilation; Tympanostomy; Otitis Media With Effusion; Otomicroscopy; Otoscopy

MeSH Terms

Child
Child, Preschool
False Positive Reactions
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Ear Ventilation/*standards
Otitis Media with Effusion/*diagnosis/*therapy
Otoscopy/*standards
Prospective Studies
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Treatment Outcome

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